Who we are:

Hi everyone! Sara and Till here from Brooklyn. Nine months ago we launched a Kickstarter campaign to complete our film, THE IRAN JOB. It was like giving birth... Now we’re back, and guess what: we brought the baby with us!

Thanks to the support of so many of you the film has been completed – now we must help the baby walk!

Our Goal:

We want to distribute the film as widely as possible. This
costs money. In fact, distribution often costs more than making the film
itself. While this may be a surprise for many of you, it’s a real challenge for independent filmmakers like us. Hollywood can spend millions to promote and release a film, which is why you know that Toy Story 23 is opening next week but you don't know that a cool film from Iran is playing too. We’re not going to let that stop our baby. We need to raise at least 60K to release THE IRAN JOB in movie theaters in the U.S. and hopefully beyond. It
takes a village to raise a child. It takes a global village to distribute an
independent film!

Why Now:

With tensions over the Muslim world - and especially Iran - looming large, and with many citizens bracing for conflict, it’s time to take a fresh look at Iranians. We may just discover that we have a lot more in common than we think...

Theatrical Release:

THE IRAN JOB opened in L.A. September 28, and has been playing in New York since October 12 for three weeks and counting. That’s a great start. But our dream is to expand the release to cities like Washington D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco and others. Eventually the film might find its way to international theaters, in the U.K., Germany, France, and other countries, perhaps even in Israel and Iran!

What's the film all about:

THE IRAN JOB is a labor of love, over 4 years in the making. After Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the destruction of Israel, we had a Skype call with Kevin Sheppard, a flashy point-guard from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Kevin was about to start a basketball contract in the Iranian Super League. A minute into the conversation he had us rolling on the floor laughing in spite of the prospect of playing in a country that's supposedly full of illegal nukes and Islamic terrorists. We decided to start filming, even without a budget. Till (husband/director) filmed Kevin in Iran over several visits, until on his last trip - in the run-up to Iran’s 2009 election - he was informed that he had made it onto a "black list," and was put in detention in a kind of "hotel-prison" inside the glitzy new Tehran airport. Sara (wife/producer) was at home, 5-months pregnant, while Till was in Tehran hand-shredding some not-so-cool-documents-when-you’re-stuck-in-Iran and flushing them down the toilet. He was sent back to New York on the next plane. We were very fortunate to get the 200+ hours of footage (and Till...) safely out of the country, which we then used to edit the film and tell…

The Story:

American basketball player Kevin Sheppard accepts a job to play in Iran. With little knowledge about the country but plenty of charm Kevin embarks on an eye-opening journey that challenges his perceptions of life in one of the world's most feared countries. As tensions run high between Iran and the West, Kevin leads his rookie team to the Iranian play-offs. Along the way he forms an unlikely friendship with three outspoken Iranian women. Thanks to these women, his apartment turns into an oasis of free speech, where they defy social norms and even the law as they speak freely about everything from politics to religion to gender roles. Kevin is forced to reconcile the warped view of Iran and Iranians that is widely perpetuated by the Western media, and eventually his season in Iran culminates in something much bigger than basketball.

With a soundtrack that features the most
cutting-edge Iranian rap and hip-hop artists, including Shahin Najafi, Jadugaran, and ZedBazi you will be treated to a film that obliterates cultural barriers.

THE IRAN JOB premiered at the L.A. Film Festival in June to much applause.(Reviews at http://www.theiranjob.com/news/press/). The film has since been invited to cultural institutions and think tanks such as the Skirball Center (L.A.), Carnegie Endowment for Intl. Peace, and the U.S. Institute for Peace (Washington).

How to support the release of THE IRAN JOB:

Tell your friends, family and social networks to buy tickets for the theatrical releases, e.g. currently in NYC. That way the film will also come to other parts of the country, and hopefully the world!

Ask your local theater to book The Iran Job for a theatrical engagement

FAQ

Pledging is easy and can be done from anywhere in the world: Simply click the green “Back This Project” button in the upper right-hand corner. You will be asked to input your pledge amount and select a reward. From there, you will go through the Amazon checkout process.

Our first campaign was primarily for completion funds. It enabled us to complete the film, and pay off costs associated with finishing the film. Since the first campaign exceeded its goal we were also able to pay for some initial marketing costs, such as creating a poster, a website etc. However, the complete costs for distributing a film are an entirely separate budget item and they typically far exceed the costs for production. This is why we’re doing a separate campaign for the distribution of the film.

Most people who are not familiar with the film industry think a film is made, and once it’s made one can simply go and see it. However, getting a film to audiences is a very expensive process that includes, for example, “P&A” which stands for "prints and advertising": paying for prints of the film which go into theaters, and the advertising which gets people to see those prints. This can be more expensive than making the film itself, a concept that is often a surprise to regular movie goers (and a big headache for fimmakers…). We often hear people say "How come I never saw or heard of this brilliant film?" The answer is that the brilliant film didn’t have enough distribution funds to get the attention of an audience. Hollywood films, for example, can spend millions of dollars on “P&A” and other publicity, which is why you know that Spiderman is opening next week but you don't know that a brilliant film from Iran is playing too. In a nutshell: The more distribution funds a film has, the bigger its chances to be seen and noticed, and for the film to have an impact.

YES, and we need to! $60,000 is our primary goal. To make a real difference we'll need much more than that to cover distribution and marketing expenses. The more we raise, the bigger the distribution impact of THE IRAN JOB. Kickstarter will allow you to donate as much money as you want/can before the deadline. All of it will go into giving the film the widest possible audience. In a perfect world we’ll raise twice our goal.

YES! Once you donate to our campaign, you absolutely can increase your pledge amount or change your reward accordingly. To do so, sign in to Kickstarter. Go to our campaign page and click the blue “Manage Your Donation” button. There, you can enter a new amount, and choose a new reward.

Kickstarter is not yet set up to facilitate tax deductions. However, for larger donations (exceeding $10,000) we do have a fiscal sponsor (IFP) that offers a 100% tax deduction on your donation. If you are interested in donating a larger amount (over $10,000) you can make a 100% tax deductible contribution through our fiscal sponsor, IFP. We would appreciate such strong support immensely. To make a 100% tax deductible donation please visit the following link:

THE IRAN JOB won the Paley Center for Media Pitch Competition, was a finalist at the MipDoc Co-production Market in Cannes and selected for the IDFA Forum in Amsterdam; the project has received funding through grants such as New York State Council on the Arts, PARSA Community Foundation, Flora Foundation, Daphne Foundation, Kodak Foundation, Richard Massey Foundation for Arts and Sciences, Art Bridge Association; and it is backed by two exceptional co-producers, New York-based Fork Films and Berlin-based The Post Republic. THE IRAN JOB also completed one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time raising 100K towards completion of the film.

For your pledge you will get unique rewards such as original artwork, limited edition pre-release DVDs, signed posters, cool t-shirts, tickets to premieres in your region, a Persian cooking class (!) and more. Check out all rewards on the right side of this screen.

The theatrical roll out starts with the one-week run in Los Angeles, Sept 28, on two screens at the Laemmle Town Hall Center and the Laemmle Music Hall. This will be followed by a one-week run in NYC, Oct 12, at the IFC Center, and then hopefully – if the campaign is successful – the film will be held over in both of these markets and expand to other cities around the country and ideally internationally. The DVD release will follow the theatrical release.

Most rewards will ship immediately after the campaign ends. Unlike the last time, where we had to first complete the film and then manufacture the incentives, most of the rewards are already produced, and can be shipped soon after the campaign ends. You will get a message from us requesting the details we need to complete your order, such as T-shirt size, address, etc. Please reply to us ASAP so we can get your stuff to you!

Till Schauder, Director/Producer/Cinematographer: Till worked at Roger Corman's Concorde Pictures in Los Angeles before attending the University of Television and Film, Munich. In Germany he wrote and directed the award winning films STRONG SHIT (Max Ophüls Film Festival Reader's Award), and CITY BOMBER. After earning a government grant for the arts he made his U.S. debut with the romantic comedy SANTA SMOKES which won several international awards, among them Best Director at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Studio Hamburg Newcomer Award. DUKE'S HOUSE, about Duke Ellington's Harlem home premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. THE IRAN JOB, currently being prepared for a 2012 release, is Till’s first documentary project and it has already garnered multiple grants and honors.

Sara Nodjoumi, Producer: Nodjoumi is a film programmer and producer.

From 2004-2010 she worked at the Tribeca Film Festival as an Associate Programmer. In 2001, Sara co-produced and co-directed a series of documentaries about the Iranian community in America. I CALL MYSELF PERSIAN: IRANIANS IN AMERICA, the first of these films, aired on multiple PBS stations and premiered in New York at the MoMA Documentary Fortnight. From 2002 to 2005, Nodjoumi joined Schauder as an Associate Producer on his feature films SANTA SMOKES and DUKE'S HOUSE. In 2006, she worked on the marketing and release of Charles Sturridge's critically acclaimed LASSIE. In 2009, Nodjoumi launched and programmed the first children's film series at Tribeca Cinemas (Rated #1 movie series in NYC for kids by NY Magazine). Sara and Till reside in Brooklyn with their children, Nika and Luca. More about us at www.partnerpictures.com including trailers of some of our previous films.

Abigail Disney, Executive Producer: Disney is a filmmaker and philanthropist. Her documentaries focused on social themes include the award-winning PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL, FAMILY AFFAIR, PLAYGROUND, and the 2011 Academy Award short-listed SUN COME UP. Her upcoming television project, Women, War & Peace, is currently in production for PBS Wide Angle by Fork Films, Disney’s production company, and is a recent recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for Humanities. Along with her husband, Pierre Hauser, Disney is also co-Founder and co-President of the Daphne Foundation. Currently, Disney serves on the boards of the Roy Disney Family Foundation, the White House Project, the Global Fund for Women, the Fund for the City of New York, and Peace is Loud. Disney received her Bachelors degree from Yale University, her Masters degree from Stanford University, and her Doctorate from Columbia University.

David Teague, Editor: Teague has edited two documentaries nominated for an Academy Award®, including one winner (Freeheld, Winner 2008 and Sun Come Up, Nominee 2011). He recently edited Born Sweet which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and has won over 10 festival awards. Teague directed, shot, and edited the award-winning documentary Intifada NYC which has played festivals and major broadcast outlets worldwide. His other documentary work includes Our House, which he co-directed with Greg King (World Premiere Hot Docs 2010), editing a documentary on independent radio in Sierra Leone, and editing Muppet documentary spots for Sesame Street. His editing and camera work in numerous films has screened at Cannes, the Berlinale, SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival, among many others. He has taught editing at DCTV and Long Island University, and is the author of two bestselling guides to editing with Final Cut Pro.

We are releasing the film independently, and have hired Industry veteran Mark Urman to help us with the release:

Mark Urman/Paladin – Service Distributor:

Veteran film industry executive Mark Urman has been a leading force in the independent arenafor over two decades. In summer, 2009 he formed Paladin, his latest distribution venture, and the company opened its first title, the highly acclaimed drama, DISGRACE, starring John Malkovich, that fall. Prior to forming Paladin Urman headed up THINKFilm, a company he co- founded in 2001. THINK’s slate included such acclaimed and successful films as SPELLBOUND, THE ARISTOCRATS, STRANGERS WITH CANDY, SHORTBUS, AVENUE MONTAIGNE, and HALF NELSON, which garnered a Best Actor Oscar Nomination for its star, Ryan Gosling.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

POINT GUARD- You’ll get a special edition THE IRAN JOB poster (27x39), which is based on the painting by internationally renowned Iranian artist-in-exile Nicky Nodjoumi, sent to you by mail, and signed by the director & Kevin Sheppard, star of THE IRAN JOB.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

DVD-DIPLOMAT - You'll get the special edition DVD. And a high-definition print of your choice from a frame of the film, signed by the director & Kevin Sheppard, star of THE IRAN JOB. Choose from one of the prints listed below.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

BLU-RAY BUDDY - You'll get the special edition BLU-RAY. And a high-definition print of your choice from a frame of the film, signed by the director & Kevin Sheppard, star of THE IRAN JOB. Choose from one of the prints listed below.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

ALL STAR – You’ll get THE ALL STAR PACKAGE - It includes: the special edition DVD; a high-def film frame print of your choice, signed by the director & Kevin (Choose from the prints listed below); and the official THE IRAN JOB T-shirt (see below).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

ALL STAR ROYAL - Includes: the special edition DVD; the special edition poster signed by the director & Kevin; the complete collection of six hi-definition film frame prints, signed by the director & Kevin, and the official THE IRAN JOB T-shirt (see all items below).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

CINEAST – You’ll get the ALL STAR ROYAL PACKAGE (see above) along with the complete DVD collection of director Till Schauder’s previous films, including the award winning SANTA SMOKES (best Director Tokyo Intl. Film Festival), DUKE’S HOUSE (Tribeca Film Festival), STRONG SHIT (Max Ophuels Film Festival Reader’s Award), and CITY BOMBER. This package also includes a 30-minute skype conversation with Till about films & filmmaking, or anything you’d like to talk about.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $650 or more
About $650

MAJESTIC FRUITS - GOLDEN PEAR - You’ll get a magnificent autographed original piece by Iranian artist-in-exile, Nahid Hagigat. From the Majestic Fruits series comes “The Golden Pear" a special edition print on canvas hand varnished with fine gold glitter (8X25, Edition/15). And you’ll get the DVD and the special edition poster (see below).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

REFORMIST - You’ll get two tickets to the NYC or L.A. premiere & after-party, or any regional premiere near you (travel not included). And you’ll get an Associate Producer credit on IMDb & on the film’s website. And you’ll get the All Star Package (see above) & the special edition poster.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

COMMUNITY SCREENING – You’ll get to host a community screening for your organization, community center, high school or university class, with the filmmakers available for a Q&A with your audience via skype. And you’ll get the All Star Package Royal (see above).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,750 or more
About $1,750

COMMUNITY SCREENING PLUS –You’ll get to host a community screening for your organization, community center, high school or university class with at least one of the filmmakers in attendance for a speech, a panel or a Q&A with your audience. And you’ll get the All Star Package Royal (see above). (Filmmaker travel/lodging & speaking fee is included for continental U.S.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

U.S.A. CO-PRESENTER– You’ll become the official co-presenter of THE IRAN JOB during a weeklong theatrical run anywhere in the U.S., with at least 2 (possibly more) screenings per day. Choose your city: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, etc. Includes 100 tickets for you to give to your friends, family, your community organization or whomever else you choose to invite. One entire show will be blocked for you and your constituency. You’ll get to officially introduce the opening night screening and present yourself and/or your affiliated organization or corporation as official co-presenter of your city. At least one of the filmmakers, and possibly Kevin Sheppard will be available for a Q&A at the opening night screening, or whichever show you pick during the weeklong run. You and/or your organization will be listed as co-presenting partner on The Iran Job website. (Travel/lodging for filmmakers & Kevin not included)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

THE ONE-on-ONE - A once in a lifetime chance to hang out with Kevin Sheppard, star of THE IRAN JOB, and become an Executive Producer of a film. Work-out with Kevin, get basketball tips, play pick-up games, have a meal together. Timing subject to Kevin's schedule. Travel and accommodations not included. You’ll also get the All Star Package Royal (see above). And your Executive Producer credit will appear on our website and on IMDB.